Snow blower vehicle

ABSTRACT

A snow blower vehicle comprises a snow plow assembly mounted on the front of a vehicle chassis. The snow plow assembly has an open fronted scoop and a scraper blade resiliently mounted on the lower edge of the scoop. A chute at the rear of the scoop opens onto the scoop along its length. The chute extends transverse to the length of the vehicle and has an open end and an opposite end. An air blower is mounted on the chute at the opposite end thereof and is drivably coupled to a motor mounted on the chassis. The air blower directs air under pressure through the chute from its opposite end through its open end thereby ejecting snow, ice and the like picked up by the snow plow assembly and directed into the scoop and the chute out of the open end of the chute at high velocity.

[451 Oct. 14,1975

[ SNOW BLOWER VEHICLE [75] Inventor: Joseph S. Maheu, Willowdale, Calif.

[73] Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization,

Inc., New York, NY. a part interest [22] Filed: Apr. 8, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 458,665

[52] US. Cl 37/43 R; 37/42 VL [51] Int. Cl. E01B 5/00 [58] Field of Search 37/41, 42 R, 42 VL, 43 R, 37/50 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,383,409 7/1921 Liddell 37/50 1,468,977 9/1923 Schiesari.... 37/41 2,109,094 2/1938 Smeal 37/41 2,404,287 7/1946 Greer..... 37/42 R X 2,436,956 3/ 1948 Dupras 37/42 R 2,789,804 4/1957 Toulmin,.1r. 37/41 X 2,877,573 3/1959 Kenyon 37/50 X 3,466,766 9/1969 Kah1bacher.... 37/50 X 3,772,803 11/1973 Cote 37/42 VL 3,793,752 2/1974 Snyder 37/42 R 3,808,714 5/1974 Reissinger 37/42 VL FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 58,364 9/1937 Norway 37/41 653,231 12/1962 Canada 37/42 VL 1,060,335

3/1967 United Kingdom 37/42 VL Primary Examiner-E. H. Eickholt Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Daniel Jay Tick [57] ABSTRACT A snow blower vehicle comprises a snow plow assembly mounted on the front of a vehicle chassis. The snow plow assembly has an open fronted scoop and a scraper blade resiliently mounted on the lower edge of the scoop. A chute at the rear of the scoop opens onto the scoop along its length. The chute extends transverse to the length of the vehicle and has an open end and an opposite end. An air blower is mounted on the chute at the opposite end thereof and is drivably coupled to a motor mounted on the chassis. The air blower directs air under pressure through the chute from its opposite end through its open end thereby ejecting snow, ice and the like picked up by the snow plow assembly and directed into the scoop and the chute out of the open end of the chute at high velocity.

1 Claim, 7 Drawing Figures Sheet 1 of 3 3,911,601

US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet 2 of 3 3,911,601

US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 SNOW BLOWER VEHICLE DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a snow blower vehicle. The invention relates to improvements in snow removal equipment and, more particularly, to improvements in high speed snow ploughs for use on main highways.

Conventional snow removal equipment for roads and highways fall into either the snow blower or snow plough categories. The snow blower is a vacuum cleaner like device normally used on city streets and the like and is adapted to pick up snow and deposit it in trucks for subsequent disposal. The disadvantages of this type of machine are that it is too slow for use on busy highways and, ice, stones and other debris passing through the chute with the snow often damage the fan mechanism Snow ploughs at present in use have one basic disadvantage in that the snow scraped from a highway is automatically deposited in banks on the road side, usually the nature of the terrain forming the shoulders of the road precludes the use of such ploughs thereon, so that the snow banks invariably encroach upon the travelled portion of the road which, in itself, is a traffic hazard.

Furthermore, any subsequent windy weather results in snow from these banks being blown back onto the roadway and re-ploughing is necessary. Another hazard stemming from having snow banked on the roadside occurs during weather in which the temperature fluctuates above and below freezing so that the snow partially melts, flows onto the highway and then freezes, making a highly dangerous road surface necessitating expensive, time consuming sanding operations.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a snow blower vehicle which can effectively remove snow from a highway at high speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snow blower vehicle which is able to project the snow for a comparatively large distance from the highway.

A further object of the invention is to provide a snow blower vehicle which substantially dispenses the snow over a wide area and thereby eliminates the formation of snow banks.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a snow blower vehicle which, although utilizing a blower system, insures that only air passes through the fan.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a snow blower vehicle which can project the snow more or less in the direction of the prevailing wind to ensure its effective dispersal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a snow blower vehicle having a simple, substantially foolproof scraper blade raising and lowering mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snow blower vehicle having a scraper blade which can automatically adjust to the road surface contour or to any minor irregularities thereon while still remaining in efficient scraping contact therewith.

In accordance with the invention, a snow blower vehicle having a chassis, a plurality of wheels movably supporting the chassis and an engine mounted on the chassis and drivingly coupled to at least some of the wheels for moving the chassis, comprises a snow plow assembly mounted on the front of the chassis. The snow plow assembly has an open fronted scoop and a scraper blade resiliently mounted on the lower edge of the scoop. A chute at the rear of the scoop opens onto the scoop along its length. The chute extends transverse to the length of the vehicle and has an open end and an opposite end. A motor is mounted on the chassis. An air blower is mounted on the chute at the opposite end thereof and is drivably coupled to the motor whereby the air blower directs air under pressure through the chute from its opposite end through its open end thereby ejecting snow, ice and the like picked up by the snow plow assembly and directed into the scoop and the chute out of the open end of the chute at high velocity.

An orifice is affixed to and extends from the open end of the chute.

The snow plow assembly comprises a plurality of tubular support members extending rearwardly from the scraper blade. A corresponding plurality of housings freely receive the support members. Each of the housings has rearwardly diverging side walls permitting sideways movement of the support members within the housings. Resilient means within the housings act on the support members and bias the scraper blade downward. A jack device affixed to the scoop and coupled to the scraper blade selectively raises the blade.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partly cutaway perspective view of the snow blower vehicle embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly cutaway view of the snow blower vehicle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the snow blower vehicle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fractional, sectional, side elevation of the scraper blade retaining mechanism of the snow blower vehicle of the invention, on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a fractional plan view of the scraper blade of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a scoop assembly of the snow blower vehicle of the invention adapted for use with dry snow; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the scoop assembly of the snow blower vehicle of the invention adapted for use with wet snow. v

In the FIGS., the same components are identified by the same reference numerals.

Referring to FIG. 1, a snow blower 10 includes a heavy duty chassis and wheel assembly 11 driven by a rear mounted engine 12.

A snow plough assembly 13 is supported on the front of the chassis l 1 and a drivers cab 14 is mounted to the rear of assembly 13.

Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, snow plough assembly 13 includes a scoop assembly 15 and a blower assembly 16. The blower assembly 16 comprises an axial flow fan 17 driven through an extension shaft 18 by a motor 19. The motor 19 is preferably an internal combustion engine, but the invention also comtemplates the use of other motive power such as, for example, a heavy duty electric motor.

Referring also to FIG. 6, the scoop assembly 15 includes a scraper blade 20 supported at the lower transverse edge 21 of an upwardly and rearwardly sloping ramp 22. The upper end of the ramp 22 is rebent upwardly and forwardly to form a U section snow guide 23 at the left hand side of the vehicle 10. The right hand side of ramp 22 is further extended rearwardly to incorporate a snow chute 24. A vertical wall 25 closes off the left hand end of the chute 24.

The wall 25 supports the fan 17 of the blower assembly l6 and is suitably apertured to permit air under pressure from the blower 16 to enter the chute 24 and pass transversely therethrough to issue from the open right hand end 26 of said chute.

From FIG. 2, particularly, it will be seen that the scraper blade 20 and its supporting edge 21 of the scoop assembly is at an angle to the center line of the chassis 11, the left hand side being the more forward, and the foremost corner 27 of the blade being supported on a small ski-type skid 28.

The motor 19 is mounted on the chassis 11 between the chute 24 and the cab 14. The extension shaft 18 passes in sealed relationship through the rear wall of the chute 24 to drive the fan 17. In order to house the motor 19 externally and to eliminate the use of angle couplings or the like with the shaft 18, the wall 25 is angularly disposed to the center line of the chassis 11.

The fan 17 is housed behind and protected by snow guide 23, so that air entering its inlet 31 (FIG. 1) is substantially free from road debris.

The operation of the snow blower 10, in general, is as follows. Snow and ice, and the like, is scraped off the road by the blade 20 and is collected by the snow guide 23 on the left hand side and by the chute 24 on the right hand side. The rear wall 32 of the snow guide 23 is sufficiently oblique to the center line of the chassis 11 to cause snow, and the like, collected therein to move rearwardly into the chute 24.

The fan 17 is adapted to move air at sufficient speed and volume to insure that, even during high speed operation, all snow, and the like, is picked up by the air blast therefrom and expelled from the open end 26 of the chute 24. This action is aided by the speed of the vehicle 10; a high relative speed already being imparted to the snow upon moving up the ramp 22 and a large amount of air being taken in by the scoop assembly 15.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that snow, ice, and the like, is ejected from the open end 26 of the chute 24 at a high velocity and therefore is moved a great distance from the side of the road being cleared.

It will be understood that the snow blower I0 is principally adapted for use on the highways where high speed snow clearing is highly essential and where there is open ground stretching on either side. It is therefore adapted to throw the snow, and the like, a great distance clear of the highway and in this manner overcome the objection to conventional snow removal equipment which merely piles the snow at the side of the road and which thereafter either blows back onto the road or partially thaws to form ice on the road.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the removal of light, dry snow usually presents a problem due to the fact that it is extremely unstable and after being displaced by a conventional snow plough, immediately is blown back onto the road surface by the air currents generated by the plough and other vehicles. The snow blower vehicle of the invention functions to blank off the majority of the open end 26, the rear portion of said open end extending outwardly. A jet type orifice 35 (FIG. 6) is formed at the open end 26. Thus the light show scraped up by the blade 20 is substantially compacted prior to being ejected through the orifice 35. In this manner,

the snow is maintained in a compact stream which is able to be thrown a reasonable distance from the highway before disintegrating.

Upon the snow blower 10 operating in a high wind which is blowing across the highway, the ligh snow which might otherwise be disintegrated when ejected into the wind, is deflected upwardly into the prevailing air stream which, added to the air blast from the blower assembly 16, effectively removes the snow the desired distance from the highway on the opposite side of the road.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the general construction and operation of the scraper blade 20. A support beam 37 of angle iron is attached to the under surface of the blade 20 at the upper edge thereof, and a plurality of tubular support pieces 38 extend rearwardly therefrom. Each support piece 38 is contained within a flat, boxlike housing 39 having rearwardly diverging side walls 40 and 41 (FIG. 5). The upper and lower walls 42 and 43, respectively, of the housing 39 retain their respective support pieces 38 in a close, sliding fit but the diverging side walls 40 and 41 permit a certain amount of lateral movement of pieces 38. This results in the blade 20 being maintained at the desired angle of attack to the ground, but permitting it to be raised on either side due to unevenness of the road or the like without placing undue strain on the blade or its attachments.

The front wall of the housing 39 is open and the rear wall 44 threadedly receives a bolt 45 (FIG. 5) having a cup member 46 attached to the inner end thereof. A strong coil spring 47 is held in compression within the support piece 38, acting on the cup 46 at the one end and the support beam 37 at the other end, thereby resiliently biasing the blade 20 onto the highway.

A hydraulic cylinder 48 is located on the lower wall 43. The jack ram 49 is linked to the blade 20 through an attachment chain 50. Pressure fluid from a conventional pump which may be driven from the fan motor is supplied to the lower end of the cylinder 48 through a union 51 so that, upon being selected, the ram 49 can be retracted and the blade 20, through the chain 50, raised when a scraping action is not required. A union 52 at the upper end of the cylinder 48 permits venting of the upper end, and upon release of fluid pressure, the blade 20 under its own weight and due to the springs 47, is permitted to fall to the ground.

It should be noted that, by permitting the blade 20 to float to a certain degree, irregularities in the road surface induce a hammering effect which, when used on an ice covered surface, is highly effective in breaking up the ice and facilitating its removal. This ice and other solid debris is ejected with the remainder of the snow without damaging the blower, due to the location of the blower to one side of the chute as described.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the present invention provides a snow blower which is effective at high speed and which is able to handle the removal of any type of snow and ice without damage, ejecting the snow, and the like, for a sufficient distance from the highway to prevent it drifting back or melting onto the road surface.

It should be further understood that the present device as described is adapted for roads in which vehicles move on the right hand side, but that it can be adapted for countries in which vehicles operate on the left hand side, without departing from the spirit or principle of the invention.

While the invention has been described by means of specific examples and in specific embodiments, i do not wish to be limited thereto, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Iclaim:

1. A snow blower vehicle having a chassis, a plurality of wheels movably supporting the chassis and an engine mounted on the chassis and drivingly coupled to at least some of the wheels for moving the chassis, said vehicle comprising a snow plow assembly mounted on the front of the chassis, said snow plow assembly having an open fronted scoop and a scraper blade resiliently mounted on the lower edge of the scoop, said snow plow assembly comprising a plurality of tubular support members extending rearwardly from the scraper blade, a corresponding plurality of housings freely receiving the support members, each of the housings having rearwardly diverging side walls 6 permitting sideways movement of the support members within the housings, resilient means within the housings acting on the support members and biasing the scraper blade downward, and jack means affixed to the scoop and coupled to the scraper blade for selectively raising said blade;

a chute at the rear of the scoop and opening onto the scoop along its length, said chute extending transverse to the length of the vehicle and having an open end and an opposite end;

motor means mounted on the chassis;

air blower means mounted on the chute at the opposite end thereof and drivably coupled to the motor means whereby the air blower means directs air under pressure through the chute from its opposite end through its open end thereby ejecting snow, ice and the like picked up by the snow plow assembly and directed into the scoop and the chute out of the open end of the chute at high velocity; and

an orifice affixed to and extending from the open end of the chute. 

1. A snow blower vehicle having a chassis, a plurality of wheels movably supporting the chassis and an engine mounted on the chassis and drivingly coupled to at least some of the wheels for moving the chassis, said vehicle comprising a snow plow assembly mounted on the front of the chassis, said snow plow assembly having an open fronted scoop and a scraper blade resiliently mounted on the lower edge of the scoop, said snow plow assembly comprising a plurality of tubular support members extending rearwardly from the scraper blade, a corresponding pluralitY of housings freely receiving the support members, each of the housings having rearwardly diverging side walls permitting sideways movement of the support members within the housings, resilient means within the housings acting on the support members and biasing the scraper blade downward, and jack means affixed to the scoop and coupled to the scraper blade for selectively raising said blade; a chute at the rear of the scoop and opening onto the scoop along its length, said chute extending transverse to the length of the vehicle and having an open end and an opposite end; motor means mounted on the chassis; air blower means mounted on the chute at the opposite end thereof and drivably coupled to the motor means whereby the air blower means directs air under pressure through the chute from its opposite end through its open end thereby ejecting snow, ice and the like picked up by the snow plow assembly and directed into the scoop and the chute out of the open end of the chute at high velocity; and an orifice affixed to and extending from the open end of the chute. 